Hair

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Spring Hair Trends, Straight Off the Runway

Right alongside supermodel glamazons and fashion designers in the pantheon of international trend-setters are celebrity hair stylists and make-up artists. And few have the vast influence and reach of Guido. Recently named one of fashion’s top 25 most influential people by the British Fashion Council, he’s considered one of the world’s most conceptual hairstylists—and a fave of design houses like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Calvin Klein.

As a major player on the Spring/Summer runways (and creative consultant for Redken), he brought his radically expressive vision and point of view to life, creating styles that complemented springs biggest fashion trends.

Here, he gives his take on this season’s four hottest trends in hair and the inside tips on how he created these looks on the runway:

Wet and Wild

“This season, wet looks weren’t just about slicked-back hair. This season’s styles had texture, body and movement— for style that’s anything but watered down.”

The long, center-parted locks at Alberta Ferretti were sweet and unassuming but still had an element of drama. “I wanted the hair to look very innocent with some edge,” says Guido. To create the look, he blow-dried argan oil into the hair, curled the ends to create a slight bend, then finished with a glistening mist, concentrated at the ends for edgy appeal.

For the Diesel runway, his low mussy ponytail was inspired by a French girl’s 1980’s hairstyle. “It’s easy and effortless, like she’s just come off the beach,” says Guido. “It has that wet look without actually having sopping wet hair.” To create it, wet hair and apply a generous amount of volumizer from roots to ends, crunch to create a wavy texture, and then pull into a low pony, leaving out some pieces around the face. Keep the wet look going with glistening mist.

Mixing texture and gloss, he created a chic fresh-from-the-pool knot at Bottega Veneta. “It’s sexy, summery and uncomplicated,” he says. To get the look, put some argan oil in the hair, pull hair back into a low ponytail, then wrap the tail around the base and secure to create a messy bun.

Get in Shape

“Whether sculpted into a high-drama updo or woven into intricate braids, this season’s styles were all about strong shapes.”

With tattoos and piercings, the look at Jean Paul Gaultier was anything but tame. Guido used volume spray foam and super-strength finishing spray to provide the body and control needed for this highly sculpted shape. To interpret it for everyday, shake mattifying hair powder into your roots for lasting volume and grip, roll your sides back and slick hair into a neat bun.

Braids are here to stay and the updo Guido created at Valentino epitomized the beauty and elegance of this timeless style. To get the look, blow dry the hair straight, divide hair into three sections and French braid, starting in the middle and continuing counter-clockwise around the hairline.

The tousled French twist seen at Marc Jacobs was a nod to the 1960s. “It’s the look of a girl who was dancing all night,” says Guido. To create this kind of style, create a left side-part, pull hair into a French twist and secure with bobby pins. The tie a headband 2 inches from crown to enhance the shape.

Toughen Up

“Think of it as texture with a point of view—tough, chic and utterly cool.”

The models at Alexander Wang walked the runway with a sporty, just-out-of-the-shower look that contrasted perfectly with the high glam collection. Get the look by applying volumizing mousse to damp hair, create a perfect center part and then rough-dry it to enhance texture.

Casual-cool was the look at Balenciaga. “It’s as if a girl is wearing the most amazingly designed clothes, but hasn’t bothered with her hair,” says Guido. To style models’ roughed-up waves, Guido created a messy center or side part, worked in soft texturizing cream-wax and then blow-dried hair until it was 80% dry. Hair then was dried naturally, to bring out texture.

The models at Lanvin mimicked a similar look to one that was rocked on the Alexander Wang runway, just a touch more refined. “Want to ramp up your own natural texture? It’s simple. “Just toughen it up with more product,” says Guido.

Go to Great Lengths

Whether wavy or straight, hair that’s worn down has undeniable elegance. “This style is always in fashion—it’s about updating it in new ways,” Guido says.

Inspired by the “minimal and controlled” aesthetic of the house, the look at Akris was clean and defined. Just, blow-dry the hair straight and then flat-iron the lengths for a super sleek look. Finish by tucking the sides behind the ears and misting on a finishing spray for shine and control.

The healthy, shiny hair seen at Sonia Rykiel epitomizes femininity. “It’s 1940s meets 1970s, very flirty and pretty,” says Guido. To get the look, blow-dry with a round brush, lifting the roots away from the scalp to create volume. Once hair is dry, create a center part and curl hair with a 1-inch iron. Brush out the curls gently to smooth, then finish with a finishing spray.

Sometimes, there’s nothing more beautiful than the perfect blow-dry. That was the look seen at D&G, where models’ bouncy blow-outs stole the show. Get the look by applying blow-dry gel to damp hair, blow-drying with a round brush, and then smoothing it with on a small amount of argan oil.

Guido’s hair tips courtesy of Redken